News from around the 32 Irish counties

ANTRIM
The litter problem at Antrim's Railway Station is making a negative impression on visiting businessmen, Legal-Island's managing director, Barry Phillips, has said. ﻿_ Phillips, whose business premises is located on Station Road, expressed his frustration at the problem at the level crossing and has begun using his blog to 'shame local authorities into clearing it up'.
(Source: The Antrim Guardian)

ARMAGH
Polling in all 18 Northern constituencies began last Thursday for the UK elections at 7am and continued until 10pm. Some 1,169,184 electors are registered and entitled to vote at 624 polling stations across Northern Ireland. After polling, the 1,512 ballot boxes were taken to eight count centers where, for the first time, counting began immediately.
(Source: The Irish Times)

CARLOW
Shoals of fish in the River Barrow are being “minced up” by turbines due to faulty protective grids. The grids are supposed to stop the young salmon, or smolts, from gaining access to the turbines, but according to local fisherman Frank Hynes, they are not working correctly, and the river’s population of smolts is being decimated as a result. On Friday last several huge shoals of salmon smolts became trapped at the turbines, close to the lock gates in Bagenalstown.
(Source: The Carlow Nationalist)

CAVAN
Hundreds of workers sat quietly in the Cavan head office of Quinn insurance the week before last as the joint administrators Michael McAteer and Paul McCann delivered the devastating news they all feared - 900 jobs are to go, including 226 in Cavan. As the number rolled off the tongue of the administrator, like a roll call, tears began to flow. Men and women wept openly and hugged each other. The land of hope in Quinn country was evaporating before their eyes.
(Source: The Anglo Celt)

CLARE
It’s widely expected that Shannon Airport is about to receive a much-needed boost, as Delta Airlines are to announce that they will maintain their Shannon-New York service this winter. Last June, they announced they were axing it for the 2009/10 winter season, in reaction to the recession. However, with hope emerging that mild economic growth could be coming, they are now set to announce that they will run four Shannon-US services a week next winter.
(Source: The Clare Champion)

CORK
The former Mallow Park Hotel has drinks still standing on the bar counter three years after its closure and the local council now wants the HSE to intervene immediately to bring the owner to account and deal with what they described as a public health hazard.
(Source: The Corkman)

DERRY

Police last week arrested two men in connection with dissident republican activity. A PSNI spokeswoman says both men were arrested in the north West last Thursday. "One man was arrested in Derry following two house searches and taken to Antrim Serious Crime Suite. A second man, from the Strabane area, is also being questioned at Antrim," she said.
(Source: The Derry Journal)

DONEGAL
Top names in Irish music came to Donegal last Monday to take part in a concert supporting the ongoing protest against a proposed high-power line across miles of rural Donegal.
"Don't forget why we're here," said Moya Brennan, who hosted the concert in the Meenaleck pub that her father, Leo Brennan, started. Last Monday night's SOS (Save Our Scenery) concert was held to support the ongoing campaign against plans to erect a high-power line.
(Source: Donegal Democrat)

DOWN
A new privacy case launched at the Northern Ireland High Court could have groundbreaking implications for Press freedom, it has been claimed. Lawyers disclosed the potential significance of Co Down woman Roberta Campbell's widening action against a tabloid newspaper. Ms Campbell is claiming damages for libel against the publishers of the Sunday World over an article, which also referred to Downtown Radio DJ Dougi Marshall.
(Source: The Belfast Telegraph)

DUBLIN
Wealthy residents including Bono and Enya have had access to their exclusive Dublin road closed for four months due to a landslide. Residents of Vico Road, Dalkey -- known as the city's millionaires' row -- have been inconvenienced since January over the road closure. One resident's garden bank collapsed on to the road four months ago, but works to repair the mess only began last week, causing a massive inconvenience to its famous residents.
(Source: The Evening Herald)

FERMANAGH
A Massive 44% drop in the combined postal/proxy vote in Fermanagh South Tyrone may have a decisive impact on the outcome of the recent Westminster election. In what is already expected to be the most closely called contest in the North, it now seems likely that there could be no more than a handful of votes between Sinn Fein's Michelle Gildernew and unionist independent Rodney Connor.
(Source: The Fermanagh Herald)

GALWAY
The Environmental Protection Agency has labeled Tynagh Mines as the most hazardous mine site in the country, with arsenic levels 1,600 times higher than safety limits – posing a potential risk to thousands of people across East Galway. In a separate recent report submitted to the EU Commission it was established that 420 tons of cyanide was used in silver ore processing on site - that's the same lethal gas used by the Nazis during World War II. Tynagh is now recognized by the European Commission as the “main source of concern of heavy metal contamination in the country”.
(Source: Galway News)

KERRY
A 20-turbine wind farm proposed in the Glenflesk area, which was refused by Kerry County Council due to fears that it could pollute Lough Leane, may yet go ahead after the decision was appealed to An Bord Pleanála.
(Source: The Kerryman)

KILDARE
The beautiful surroundings of Newbridge’s Green Road educational campus were compared to Áras an Uachtaráin the week before last – by someone who really knows what she’s talking about! President Mary McAleese visited the two schools based at Green Road, in buildings which formerly housed the Sundai International School. . The beauty of their new surroundings was emphasized to the children by President McAleese, who said that the expanse of green areas and trees reminded her of the presidential residence. She told them that they were “very lucky” to have the opportunity to learn in such pleasant surroundings.
(Source: The Kildare Nationalist)

KILKENNY
He trains in Kilkenny by lifting his own car and all the hard work has paid off for Tullaroan's James Fennelly, who was named Ireland's Strongest Man for the second year in a row the Monday before last. James, 26, who tips the scales at 19 stone, lifted cars, pulled a truck and carried a skip to defend his title in the annual Strongman competition in Cork, beating 15 other big men to keep hold of the King Fionn Trophy - named after the legendary giant Fionn McCool.
(Source: The Kilkenny People)

LAOIS
Laois is the official guinea pig for a Government investigation into unfinished estates left behind by bankrupt builders. Planning Inspectors from the Department of the Environment have visited every unfinished/ghost estate in the Laois, as the Government uses the county to get an overall picture of the national crisis.
(Source: The Leinster Express)

LEITRIM
Leitrim County Council collected €611,200 from levies paid on 3,056 holiday and second homes in Leitrim last year, according to the Department of Environment. The €200 charge levied on people with more than one property raised in excess of €68 million nationally for 2009 – almost €30 million more than expected when it came into force last year.
(Source: The Leitrim Observer)

LIMERICK
Sean McGowan, the Limerick man who has entered the history books, has revealed the full story behind his "nightmarish" journey after becoming the first Irishman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. The 42 year-old man from Farranshone in Limerick flew into Shannon Airport last Friday.
(Source: The Limerick Leader)

LONGFORD
Bord Na Mona has played down fears it could be staring at a €9m gaping hole in its finances after a decision was taken to close a Longford based power station for five months.
The move was rubber-stamped the Friday before last, in order to replace a troublesome boiler at Lanesboro's Lough Ree Power Station.
(Source: The Longford Leader)

LOUTH
Gardaí in Drogheda questioned former surgeon Michael Shine on Monday last about up to 100 allegations of sexual assaults in the Drogheda area as part of an ongoing investigation. The 79-year-old former consultant at Our Lady of Lourdes hospital was arrested at his Ballsbridge home, and taken to Drogheda Garda station, where he was held under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.
(Source: The Drogheda Independent)

MAYO
Construction on a new €5.5 million development consisting of a number of commercial and retail units for the village of Achill Sound will begin next week following An Bord Pleanala’s decision to grant planning permission for the development. The proposed €5.5 million development in the Achill village was initially granted planning permission by Mayo County Council last October but was appealed to An Bord Pleanála.
(Source: Mayo News)

MEATH
Sixty jobs are to be lost at the Irish Cement factory outside Duleek under restructuring plans to be implemented by the company. Meath East Fianna Fail TD Thomas Byrne described the job losses at Platin as "a major blow to east Meath, coming as they do on top of the devastating announcement at Quinn Insurance". He said that County Meath now needed a jobs taskforce to concentrate Government efforts on finding replacement jobs and industry for the county "in the light of these dreadful announcements".
(Source: The Meath Chronicle)

MONAGHAN
Gardaí in Monaghan say they have launched a major operation to find an armed gang that carried out an aggravated burglary at the home of one of Monaghan’s leading publicans last Monday. Paul Lavery was at work in his pub, the Poc Fada on the town’s North Road and his wife Cathy was in the house near Pipers Bridge, when the raiders forced their way into the house. Lavery was in the home with her 15-year-old daughter and a school friend who were to babysit the family’s two-year-old daughter. Although the gang ransacked almost every room in the house, it is understood that no cash or property was taken.
(Source: The Irish Times)

OFFALY
It was a wedding with a difference last week when Paul Moloney was married by his own father. Daingean curate Fr Michael Moloney presided over his son's wedding to Deborah Coyle at the Garrison Church in Renmore, Galway Friday before last. Fr Moloney came under the spotlight when he was re-admitted to the priesthood in 1998 after having first been ordained over 30 years before.
(Source: The Offaly Express)

ROSCOMMON
An increase in gang culture at Castlerea Prison is placing prison officers in more dangerous working conditions, it was claimed last week. Gabriel Keaveney, National Executive member of the Prison Officers Association (POA), speaking following the POA Annual Delegate Conference in Killarney two weeks ago, said that the prison had experienced a recent increase in gang culture and that the number of prisoners on protection had also risen dramatically.
(Source: The Roscommon Champion)

SLIGO
With the first Leonard Cohen concert at Lissadell sold out in six minutes the Monday before last, a leading tourism chief has predicted a "massive boost" to the region's economy as a result of the two open air all-seated shows by the legendary songwriter.
(Source: The Sligo Champion)

TIPPERARY
The Minister for Justice Mr. Dermot Ahern TD confirmed that recruitment of new Gardai (police) into the Force will commence before the end of the year which equates to very good news for the Garda Training College in Templemore. Although Minister Ahern did not get into specifics in terms of in-take numbers, he did reiterate the importance of the Garda Training College to the country, when he visited to preside over a graduation ceremony of 267 recruits - 183 men and 84 ladies.
(Source: The Tipperary Star)

TYRONE
Environmental issues provided local school children with plenty to talk about at Dungannon council offices for the area heats of the Environmental Youth Speak 2010 competition recently. Pupils debated a number of topical matters, and impressed the panel of judges with their knowledge, in a bid to get through to the regional finals.
(Source: Tyrone Times)

WATERFORD
Five times in 12 days, staff in five different city shops were terrorized by a chronic heroin and cocaine addict who held them up at knifepoint last week. Two of the victims were forced on their knees behind a counter for 20 minutes while the raider selected a range of games, phones and other items from their shop.
(Source: Waterford News & Star)

WESTMEATH
The scale of the unemployment problem among young men in the midlands has been laid bare by shock new figures, which reveal that almost four in every ten are unemployed in the region. Figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the midlands, at 38.9% had the country's third highest unemployment rate for young men, behind the Mid-West (39.4%) and the South West (41.6%).
(Source: The Westmeath Independent)

WEXFORD
An Australian man has been awarded €94,000 in damages at the High Court over injuries to his left foot, suffered when a Wexford nightclub's large flower pot urn fell on it.
(Source: The Wexford People)

WICKLOW
Twenty-Five Teenagers from all over the Garden County spent a night in Wicklow's Historic Goal without a ghost in sight last week. The Gaol is infamous for the number of spooks haunting the premises, with some friendlier in nature than others. But there was no sign of things that go bump in the night for the students from Wicklow, Arklow, Greystones and west Wicklow.
(Source: The Wicklow People)